Schwerin (dpa/mv) – Instead of just going to special schools, in future pupils at regional and comprehensive schools in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will also be able to complete a voluntary 10th school year in order to obtain a recognized school leaving certificate. This should make it easier for school leavers to start their careers and reduce the high proportion of school dropouts, said Minister of Education Simone Oldenburg (left) on Wednesday in Schwerin, explaining the innovation planned for the coming school year. According to you, more than 600 students leave the school every year without a professional qualification. At eight to ten percent, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has one of the highest dropout rates in Germany.
According to Oldenburg, further innovations will come into force with the reform of the school-leaving certificate ordinance. In the future, annual work at regional schools will no longer be compulsory. Particularly high-performing students can, under certain conditions, be exempted from an examination in a main subject, and high school graduates who voluntarily take the intermediate school leaving examination after the tenth grade no longer have to automatically leave the Gymnasium. In addition, the calculation mode for the final grades will be simplified. “We have harmonized the procedures, five ordinances became one. Everything is becoming more transparent, teachers and students are relieved,” explained Oldenburg.
